Lynn Hardy: Prophecy of the Flame Update

Companion Novels

It sounds so sweet, companion novel. But what is it? A companion novel is a book that is only complete when it is paired with another book. They are never meant to be read by themselves.

Another unique attribute of companion novels is the size. The official term is “novel.” However, their word count is usually between 14,000 and 25,000 words. This is typically called a novella. I suppose if we can call Pluto a planet, we can call these companion “novels.”

Their numbering in the series easily identifies them. Most are labeled with a .5 or ½. (i.e. 2.5 or Three and a half) I’ve heard other authors publish them to keep readers focused between major books in a series. I’ve decided to release a companion novel of my own, although not for the typical reasons.

Prophecy of the Flame: Two ½ - Love’s Reward was created because Book Three in the series was becoming too long. I had several chapters that were flashbacks. After attending a writing convention and hearing about this new trend I began working on Book Two ½.

It has been 2 years since I released Book Two in the series – that is a long stretch. I hope my fans are still out there. I promise to be more timely with my books in the future: I got distracted with the screenplay for Book One. Now the screenplay is complete and Book Three will finally be released this winter.

Love’s Reward is a typical companion novel: A collection of short stories – less than 20,000 words. It could never stand on its own, but it will add not only more insight into the characters from Book Two but a layer of depth to Book Three, soon to be released.